“Come on. You’re doing great and you know it,” I say.
She sighs heavily. “Doesn’t mean much though, does it? I still don’t have an animali.”
“You can do more than I can,” I point out. “And do I need to remind you that I don’t have a creature either?”
She lifts her arms, propping her hands behind her head. “Yeah, but you have four professors who want to see you live,” she replies. She doesn’t sound bitter about it, but she says it like she’s simply stating a fact.
I close my sketchbook. “Once the games start, they can’t be with me.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know… I’ve seen the way they act around you. Something tells me if you were about to die, they’d find a way to save you.”
“Maybe,” I mumble, my heart twisting at the thought. “But come on, you’ve seen me out there. I’m still way behind everyone else.” We’ve practiced two other obstacle courses since that first one where I nearly fell, and I haven’t finished either of them. I’ve been lucky Thane was there to help me each time.
Kenzie laughs, then covers her mouth. “Sorry,” she says, stifling her smile. I was just picturing the way you slid off that last obstacle yesterday.”
I grin. “You mean when I landed on my ass and nearly thought I’d broken my tail bone?”
“Yeah,” she says, still stifling her laughter. “I so thought you had that one. The obstacle wasn’t even moving.”
“What can I say?” I reply with a shrug. “I have a gift.”
This time we both laugh, because what else is there to do when discussing your impending doom than to laugh about it?
I sigh heavily when our laughter dies off. “At least, I should make the games entertaining for the queen.”
Kenzie’s smile fades, and she rolls onto her side, resting her head on her hands as she faces me. “What’s your plan, Shade? I know my fate. I’ll either die during the games, or I’ll gain my immortality and serve the queen as a soldier for the war. But what about you? If you gain your immortality, how does that work with the professors? I mean, they’re your mates.”
I smile weakly. “I have no idea.” Pausing, I wet my lips as I wonder whether I should tell her this next part. I haven’t told Kenzie about the prophecy that concerns me and the guys. I hadn’t wanted to worry her, but with the games getting closer, I decide I can’t keep it a secret from her any longer. “They think I’ll destroy them,” I say softly, because she may as well know.
“What?” She blinks at me.
Taking a deep breath, I recite the part of the guys’ prophecy that Kenzie hasn’t heard, “When the time comes to close the fold, four must stand against the bitter cold. Only one can make you break, beware the bond of your beloved mate.”
There’s a long stretch of silence as she simply stares at me and the words sink in. “But that doesn’t mean you’ll destroy them, Shade. That means…” she trails off when I give her a look, and she’s lost for words.
“What do you think they’ll do?” she eventually asks instead. “Does the queen know?”
I lean back, closing my eyes briefly before opening them again. “She suspects something is up, but I don’t think she knows I’m their mate. The plan is immortality and then…” I shrug. “I have no idea.”
There’s more silence after that, until Kenzie says, “I refuse to believe you could be responsible for making us lose the war. You’re one of the kindest people I know. I can’t believe you’d be capable of that.”
I feel heavy, like exhaustion is weighing me down. “I have no idea what I’m capable of,” I reply quietly. I might not have all my memories back, but a sense of foreboding has been hanging over me since my time with the foxrets, and no matter what I do, I can’t shake it.
Wanting to change the subject, I say, “Some of the originals will be here by the end of the week to erect the stadium.”
She arches a brow, no doubt realizing I’m trying to change the subject and going along with it. “What do you meanerectit?”
There’s a dirty joke in there somewhere, but neither of us comment on it.
“Yeah, I’m not sure what it means, exactly, but apparently when we feel the ground shaking, we should make sure we look out the front windows of the academy,” I say, remembering what my mates told me earlier.
Kenzie nods. “Okay then. Remember to look out the window.”
Sliding my sketchbook under the cushions, I pull my knees to my chest and stare out of the window as we both grow quiet again, and I wonder who or what my guys are currently hunting.
Chapter Twenty-Three
~ Shade ~
